Weakness
by gofordrakgo
Summary: "The day he finally discovered what she was afraid of happened many years after they'd begun to work together. It was something he'd never have even considered. He had a (top-secret) list of ideas which was dozens upon dozens of items long and yet it had not once occurred to him." (Drakgo)


It is a universal truth that everybody, no matter how cool and collected, has a weakness. And he knew that someday he would find hers. He never told her this, of course. If he'd ever dared she would have made his life hell just to point out how much weaker than her he was. As it was her mocking often made him sputter out awkward grunts and half-shouts before he'd finally manage to scream out her name or tell her to zip it.

It wasn't that he wanted to find her weakness to be cruel… it would just be nice to know she was human. And oh alright, it would be nice to have something to use as leverage once in a while, when she got too lippy.

He'd tried horror movies. She found them thrilling, and often amusing. Inadvertently he'd also given her more mocking material because he'd ended up cowering in a ball on the corner of the couch. He'd not expected the amount of blood there had been, nor had he realized just how creepy the demon character was. She'd just laughed at him but was at least kind enough to reassure him that he was safe. Actually, it wasn't intentionally kind, she'd been making fun of him when she said it but he found it comforting nevertheless.

He'd tried heights, which he realized as she threw herself from the plane had been ridiculous. She was a thrill-seeker and had pulled crazier stunts. At least he refrained from screaming as they freefell. He did pull his parachute earlier than she did, but she didn't even make fun of him for that. Maybe he had done better than she would have expected.

He'd scheduled doctors' appointments for them and for all the henchman. He may be evil but he wasn't stupid, and it was high time they were all brought up to date on their vaccinations. He'd even had their families vaccinated, which he thought was rather nice of him. After seeing more than one of his henchmen faint at the sight of the needles he'd begun to think maybe Shego was scared of needles as well. After all, she'd protested the necessity of the doctor all week. He watched as she stormed into the room and slammed down a folder that held her medical history (he didn't mention he'd already provided the doctor with her documents, she'd accuse him of being too in her business). Then she sat down in the chair, rolled up her sleeve and got her flu shot for the year.

"Happy now?" she spat. "Can I go now that you've wasted most of my day off?"

So, she wasn't afraid of needles either.

Storms were out of the question since he remembered the incident with the weather machine just fine. It was the first time he'd hugged her without being blasted with plasma. Actually, he'd more clung to her because he had been terrified, but normally even that—especially that—would be enough to bring him harm. He remembered it so well because he'd spent the entire night awake, wishing he hadn't let go, like some lovestruck fool. Not that he was in love! No way! She was just… nice to… hold… and- never mind that! He didn't love Shego! She was his employee and, on some rare days, his friend.

This journey to find her weakness wasn't some pulling at pigtails crush! It was just… well. It was… She wouldn't feel the same even if he did love her so who cares?!

Clowns freaked him out, and as they hid inside a circus tent to evade the police (it was convenient it was there since the circus might be the only place that they actually blended in) he discovered they annoyed her to no end. But they didn't scare her in the least.

She wasn't afraid of spiders either. That was another possibility he didn't bother with. Killing spider was in her contract. And he meant that literally. Oh, she'd teased him relentlessly for the first year of her employment but after a while, she just got rid of spiders with very little to say about it.

The day he finally discovered what she was afraid of happened many years after they'd begun to work together. It was something he'd never have even considered. He had a (top-secret) list of ideas which was dozens upon dozens of items long and yet it had not once occurred to him.

"So, what do we do now, Doc?" She asked as he pulled her into the hovercraft. For a moment he didn't answer, as he gave her a quick but minimally invasive once over. She'd been knocked out- not for very long but he rarely saw her actually injured after a fight. He didn't mind admitting then and there that he'd been afraid for her. "Doc?" She demanded again, slapping his hand away from the back of her head where he'd been checking for blood.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I should have-"

"Drakken, I'm fine. Can we just go home now, or something? I'm tired and sore but I'm fine. I just want to sleep."

"Yes, right. Of course. Home it is." Home. Had she ever called one of the lairs home before? He didn't think she had. "Back to the lair?"

She nodded and slumped further into her seat. "You're driving, flower boy."

He groaned at the name but didn't bother to protest. She'd already closed her eyes, evidently through talking.

He couldn't help but watch her the whole time he was driving. It saddened him to think about it but he'd kind of… well, he had kind of expected her not to come for him. And from there his mind drifted to that stupid almost-hug. Why had he stopped? She had really looked like she wanted to hug him too. And he'd just… been a coward. Four years and counting and he couldn't think of one thing she was afraid of, but she probably could think of dozens of things he was afraid of, in her sleep.

He told himself it would have embarrassed her, for him to hug her in front of Kim Possible and her buffoonish sidekick. That wasn't true though. He'd been scared. He'd been scared again, as they flew back to the lair, and when the alien robot things broke through the roof of the Middleton lair. And during the first moment after he'd yelled for his plants to attack when nothing had happened. And most of all when Shego had been flung away like a piece of garbage and that awful cracking sound and… he looked over to her again, to make sure she was still alright. She was curled up like a kitten, her hands balled up in tight fists next to her head, still sleeping soundly.

He was a coward, but not because he was afraid of horror movies, or clowns, or spiders. No, he was a coward because he could hardly admit to himself that he loved her. But he did. He loved her.

It took a few hours but he finally pulled the hovercraft up to their new jungle lair. Actually, it was more of a treehouse with a lab.

"Shego?" He whispered. Shego was not a happy riser, but she'd be even less happy if he carried her inside. Instead of hitting at him the way he'd expected she nodded, drifted to her feet, and walked inside on her own.

"Crap," she moaned as they got inside. "We never unpacked."

"I'll find the mattresses," he offered, though what he wanted to say was I told you to unpack!

"Yeah, I'm awake now, might as well help."

After three grueling hours of opening boxes, they managed to find one mattress, big enough to hold both of them—if they cuddled. Cuddling just wasn't something they did so, despite his protesting muscles and the exhaustion that was starting to make it hard to stay on his own two feet, he told her to take it.

"Are you sure, Doctor D? I can… we can look a little while longer I mean. Or…". A faint green blush took over her features and she fell silent.

In his exhaustion he barely noticed. "Or what, Shego?" he asked around a yawn.

"Nothing."

"Oh. Okay. If you want to keep looking you can, but I really think you should rest."

"Says the one who's been yawning every other word."

"Zip it," he muttered, half-heartedly.

Half an hour later Shego quit and crawled onto the mattress. Another hour after that and the sun was beginning to rise in the distance. His throat closed up with the threat of exhausted, frustrated tears. Where could the other mattress have gone? Or even just a pillow! A blanket! Anything so he could just go to sleep.

A startled gasp escaped him as a hand clapped around his own, but it was just Shego.

"Go to bed, Doc," she yawned and before he could say anything else she pulled him towards her, and made room for him on the bed. Too tired to feel awkward about it he clambered in next to her with a quiet sigh.

She curled into him. She cuddled up with him. Her head was on his chest, one of her arms thrown across his stomach. After a moment's hesitation he decided even she couldn't get too mad at him, so he buried his face in her air and held her to him.

"I'm really glad you're okay," she mumbled into his skin. "I was so afraid they would have hurt you."

He blinked in surprise, pulling away to make sure it was actually Shego he'd cuddled up with. "You- you were?"

"Of course I was, you idiot." She nestled into him again, her breath evening out.

After a long moment, he let out a quiet laugh. When that didn't rouse her he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I love you, Shego."

And as he fell asleep he swore he heard her mumble, "Love you too, Doc."


End file.
